


Mountains And Sickness

by Rubyya



Category: The Brotherband Chronicles - John Flanagan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 13:32:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19006801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubyya/pseuds/Rubyya





	Mountains And Sickness

Hal sighed. He was tired. It had been a hard month. Erak had given them a week break before they were needed back in the sea. The crew was all excited. They were having fun fishing and seeing people they hadn't seen in a while. Not him though. He was sitting on a ledge on the mountain. It was mostly hidden by trees, but it provided an amazing view of most of Hallasholm. It was also easily to fall off of. One wrong step, one trip, and you would be hurling down the steep edge with nothing to stop you. Hal sighed again. He needed to stop thinking like that. That thinking would get him killed. But really, would that be such a bad thing?   
At the start of the month, Hal and Thorn had gotten the bad news that Karina was sick. Deathly sick. That's what had prompted them to turn around and return home. The sea didn't like that. They had to fight their fair share of storms and people. When they finally docked, it was too late. She had died earlier that day. For Hal it had been too much. He'd run into the woods. And that's where he'd stayed. He didn't know what Thorn had done, but he probably wanted to be alone too. Probably threatened then with his club. That brought a smile to Hal’s face.   
When he looked down at Hallasholm again it was harder to see. It took his brain a moment to figure out that the sun was setting. Soon it would be dark and almost impossible to get down safely from the mountain. He would have to start down soon if he wanted to be home at a reasonable hour. Hal slowly stood up and stretched. His muscles had tensed up from sitting do long. He didn't think he had taken that long but the sun had almost disappeared.   
He had to hurry, otherwise his mam would… Hal looked down the mountain edge again. It was pitch black. The town was just shadow on shadow and the edge hid in the veil of darkness. One wrong step and he would join the darkness. He was one step away from seeing his mam again. In fact, he could almost see her now. But that one step was in the way. So he went and shortened it. He stepped forward, letting gravity pull his body down.   
“Hal!” a voice behind him cried out. Hal felt strong arms wrap around his torso. These arms pulled him back, farther and farther into the forest. Away from mam.  
“No!” he cried out, “Let me go! I have to see mam again! I have to tell her I'm sorry! I need her! Please! Let me go!” His pleas got more desperate the farther away from the edge he got. He screamed, kicked, cried, anything to get away. And then it went all black.   
When Hal woke up, he was on the Heron. The sun was rising, painting the horizon bright colors.  
“Hal! You're awake!” voices yelled from the other side of the deck. The next thing Hal knew he was assaulted on all sides.   
“I…I can't breathe.” he said. The hugging became slightly less tight, but they still were crowded around him.   
“I'm fine. Why are you acting like I almost died or something?” He asked.   
“But…but...YOU ALMOST DID!” Ingvar cried out, his voice bellowing across the deck. His arms wrapped around all, nearly crushing him again.   
“Let him go.” Lydia said from behind the mass of bodies.   
Ingvar frowned, but let Hal go, although he didn't move from his side.   
“Really guys. I'm fine. I don't know why you're acting like this but I need to go.” Hal got to his feet, watching the crowd around him. They all looked like they were ready to spring at him.   
“I'm sorry Hal, but you aren't going anywhere. You are going to stay on the Heron until you aren't sick anymore” Edvin said, “And if you try to leave either Ingvar or Lydia will stop you.”  
Hal frowned. “I'm not sick. I don't know what you guys are talking about but I need to go. Mam’s going to be mad if I'm too late.”  
Stig stated to say something but Lydia cut him off.   
“Hal,” she said softly, pushing her way next to him, “Karina isn't here.”  
“Of course she isn't,” he said, “She's on the mountain. She motioned me to come with her so that's what I was trying to do last night. Someone stopped me though. Next time I see him I'm going to give him a bloody nose.” The longer Hal spoke the more fury he felt. Someone had taken him away from his mam! They had absolutely no right to do that. Stig unconsciously backed up a bit.   
“Hal,” Lydia tried again, “Karina isn't in this world anymore. She's moved on. And that's what she would have wanted you to do. She'd-”  
“You're wrong!” Hal shouted, “You're so wrong! Mam isn't in some other world! She's in the mountains! And she needs my help!” Hal moved forward, as if to go off the ship. He didn't get very far. Ingvar was in front of him.   
“Ingvar, move.” he said   
“I'm sorry Hal,” he replied, “I can't do that. You're going to hurt yourself if you go back to the mountains.”  
“Ingvar move or I'll move you myself!” Hal shouted.   
The Herons were stunned. Hal never shouted like that, especially not at Ingvar. He always calmly explained everything. Ingvar noticed something was wrong too. He moved towards Hal and scooped him up before he could escape. Ingvar brought Hal back to the group, kicking and screaming in his arms.   
Lydia opened her mouth again, as if explain again would help, when Stig but in this time.   
“Stop it Lydia. We need to be blunt with him. Hal,” Stig looked Hal straight in the eyes, “Your Mam’s dead. She died yesterday. And she's never gone to the mountains before.”  
At this Hal seemed to calm down. Tears ran down his eyes and he held his head down, muttering, “It can't be true. This can't be true.” Lydia nodded at Ingvar, telling him he could put Hal down. So he did and the second Hal's feet touch the deck he sprinted off, running to the mountains. It took the herons a second to shake off their shock, long enough to give the adrenaline filled Hal a good head start. Everyone ran after him, tripping over each other to get off the boat. They ran through the town, dodging people going about their lives. They ran up the mountain path, waving its way through the trees and rock. They ran and ran, Hal always two steps in front of them. Too soon they reached the clearing, Hal nimbly jumping over the intertwined roots. And then he jumped. The air held him for a second, letting the whole crew see his face. It was a bright smile that lit up his face. He tumbled to the ground, hitting the mountain with a sickening crack. His body bounced and rolled until it reached the bottom, a lone carcass of a once proud skirl, struck down by loss.


End file.
